Update on the treatment of personal data. 

Earlier this year, the Information Commissioner ruled on a request to access closed school records at Powys Archives. See www.ico.gov.uk/~/media/documents/decisionnotices/2011/fs_50314844.ashx for more information. 

The implication of this ruling was that all school records might be subject to closure for the lifetime of the children within them. In practice, this meant that a closure period of up to one hundred years might be appropriate. 

The ruling does not oblige us to introduce such a substantial closure to the personal data within school records. However, we were aware that our own approach was inconsistent, and that we applied different closure periods to different records. 

We have now standardised our closure period for log books, admission registers and governors' minutes to fifty (50) years. 

If you wish to obtain information from a closed school record, it may still be possible to do so. We ask that you contact us with your request.